Apparatus for, and method of, positioning movable elements on a T-ball mechanism for propulsion

ABSTRACT

A propulsion member (e.g. a bat) has an external switch and an internally disposed transistor which transmits signals when the switch is manually closed. A receiver in a tee mechanism receives the signals and causes a tee in the mechanism to move upwardly from a rest position to an operative position. As the tee moves upwardly to the operative position, an element (e.g. a wiffle ball) moves on a ramp to a supportive position at the top of the tee. When the tee is in the operative position, a player holding the propulsion member swings the member against the ball. This is helpful to young children (e.g. eight (8) years old or younger) in learning how to hit a baseball.

[0001] This invention relates to systems for, and methods of, providinga tee mechanism including a tee on which a ball can be disposed so thata child can practice hitting the ball with a bat. More particularly, theinvention relates to a system for, and method of, controlling adisposition of a ball on a tee in accordance with the transmission ofsignals from the bat under the control of the child holding the bat.

BACKGROUND OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Baseball has been designated for years in the United States asthe national pastime. Actually, baseball constitutes the nationalpastime in a number of countries in the world including Japan and thecountries in Central America. The fundamentals of baseball are in two(2) categories-hitting and catching. Hitting is perhaps more difficultthan catching. Pitching machines have been in existence for decades toprovide an opportunity for baseball players to practice hitting. Whenactivated, the machines propel balls to a batter who stands in a battingcage. The balls are propelled on a sequential basis to the batter at arelatively high speed.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 issued on Feb. 20, 2001 to Mark J.Rappaport and Jose E. Leal as joint inventors and licensed to the samelicensee as the licensee of this patent application discloses and claimsa system for, and method of, propelling balls to a batter, who isprimarily a youngster between the ages of about 9 to 12. The system andmethod disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,190,271 provide a bat with a switchon the bat and a transmitter in the bat. When the batter presses theswitch to close the switch, the transmitter sends signals to apropulsion mechanism. The propulsion mechanism then propels a balltoward the batter. The ball is preferably a wiffle type of ball so thatit will not travel a long distance when hit and so that a bystander willnot be injured if struck by the ball.

[0004] Special formats have been specially developed for young children(e.g. children below the age of about nine (9) years old) to help thempractice hitting a baseball. In these special formats, a softball isdisposed on the top of a tee which extends upwardly from a supportsurface. A child then swings a bat against the ball to hit the ball.Leagues have been formed with a plurality of teams each having aparticular number of players eight (8) years old or younger.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a propulsion member(e.g. a bat) has an external switch and an internally disposedtransmitter which transmits signals when the switch is manually closed.A receiver in a tee mechanism receives the signals and causes a tee inthe mechanism to move upwardly from a rest position to an operativeposition. As the tee moves upwardly to the operative position, anelement (e.g. a wiffle ball) moves on a ramp to a supportive position atthe top of the tee. When the tee is in the operative position, a playerholding the propulsion member swings the member against the ball. Thisis helpful to young children (e.g. eight (8) years old or younger) inlearning how to hit a baseball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] In the drawings:

[0007]FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a player holding apropulsion member (e.g. a bat in a position to strike a movable element(e.g. a wiffle ball) disposed on a tee mechanism constituting apreferred embodiment of the invention;

[0008]FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the tee mechanism shownin FIG. 1 as seen from a different position than the position of the teemechanism in FIG. 1;

[0009]FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the tee mechanism asseen from a different position than the positions shown in FIGS. 1 and2;

[0010]FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a teedisposed in the tee mechanism and movable upwardly and downwardly and ofa ramp for holding the movable elements (e.g. wiffle balls) and fortransferring a successive one of the movable elements to the tee everytime that the tee is raised;

[0011]FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view in elevation of amechanism for moving the tee upwardly to transfer a successive one ofthe movable elements (e.g. wiffle balls) on the ramp to the tee duringan upward movement of the tee;

[0012]FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the ramp andthe tee at the instant that the successive one of the movable elements(e.g. wiffle balls) on the ramp is transferred to the tee;

[0013]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the propulsion mechanism (e.g. thebat) and the switch disposed on the exterior surface of the propulsionmember to institute a disposition of the movable element (e.g. thewiffle ball) on the tee when the switch is manually closed;

[0014]FIG. 8 is a schematic circuit diagram which includes the switch onthe propulsion member (e.g. the bat) and the transmitter in thepropulsion member; and

[0015]FIG. 9 is a schematic circuit diagram which includes a motor forproviding controlled movements of the tee upwardly and downwardly in thetee mechanism in accordance with the transmission of signals from thebat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0016] FIGS. 1-9 show a preferred embodiment of apparatus generallyindicated at 10 for providing movable elements (e.g. wiffle balls) 12 ona tee 14 in a tee mechanism generally indicated at 16. When one of thewiffle balls 14 is disposed on the tee 14, a hitter (e.g. a batter) 18(FIGS. 1 and 7) can impact the wiffle ball 12 with a propulsion member(e.g. a bat) 20 to practice hitting the wiffle ball. The apparatus 10 isintended to be used primarily by young children generally eight (8)years old or younger to practice their hitting techniques.

[0017] The bat 20 may be conventional. It has a narrow portion 22 forgripping by the hitter and it has an expanded portion 24 for impact withthe ball 12. A manually operated switch 26 is disposed on the bat 20,preferably between the gripping portion 22 and the hitting portion 24. Atransmitter 28 (FIG. 8) is disposed in the bat 20, preferably at aposition displaced from the hitting portion 24. The switch 20 and thetransmitter 28 are connected with a battery 30 in an electrical circuitgenerally indicated at 32 in FIG. 8.

[0018] The tee mechanism 16 includes a housing 33 within which the tee14 is disposed. The tee 14 in the tee mechanism 16 constitutes anelongated rod which preferably extends in a substantially verticaldirection. The tee mechanism 16 includes a base 35 on which the tee 14is supported. A rack gear 34 (FIG. 5) disposed within the housing 33 isformed on one side of the tee at an intermediate position along thelength of the tee. The rack gear 34 meshes with a pinion gear 36 whichis driven by a motor 38, preferably a direct current motor. Theoperation of the motor 33 is controlled by a microprocessor 40. Signalsare introduced to the microprocessor 40 from a receiver 42, the input ofwhich is connected to an antenna 44. The antenna 44 receives the signalsfrom the transmitter 28.

[0019] Ramp members 46 a and 46 b are provided to hold a plurality ofthe wiffle balls 12 in a stacked relationship. A movable detent 48 isprovided at a leading position in the ramp 46 a (FIG. 6) to prevent anyof the wiffle balls 12 in the ramps 46 a and 46 b from leaving the rampsuntil the detent is moved downwardly in FIG. 4 by a signal from themicroprocessor 40. When this occurs, the leading one of the balls 12 inthe ramp 46 a is released from the ramp to become deposited on a cuppedportion 49 at the top of the tee.

[0020] The circuitry for operating the motor 38 is generally indicatedat 50 in FIG. 9. The circuitry 48 includes a first series circuit 52including a first battery 54, a switch 56 and the motor 38 in FIG. 9.The circuitry 50 also includes a second series circuit 58 including themotor 38, a battery 60 and a switch 62. The switches 56 and 62 arerespectively disposed at the bottom and top of the path of movement ofthe tee 14 in the downward and upward directions. The switches 56 and 62are mechanically or electrically gauged so that one of the switches isopen at any instant and the other one of the switches is closed at thatinstant. The gauging of the switches 50 and 54 is shown in FIG. 9 bybroken lines 64.

[0021] When the batter 18 desires to hit one of the wiffle balls 12, thebatter presses the switch 26. This causes the circuit 32 in FIG. 8 tobecome activated and the transmitter 28 to send signals to the receiver42 (FIG. 5) in the tee mechanism 16. The microprocessor 40 responds tothese signals by activating the motor 38, thereby producing a movementof the tee 14 in the tee mechanism 16. When the motor 38 is activated,the tee 14 may preferably be at the upper position of the upward anddownward movement of the tee. At this position, the switch 56 at the topposition of the tee 14 movement is closed and the ganged switch 62 atthe bottom end of the upward movement of the tee is open. This causesthe tee 14 to move downwardly to the bottom position of the tee.

[0022] The switch 62 then closes and the switch 56 opens. This causesthe tee 14 to move upwardly. When the tee 14 reaches a positioncorresponding to that indicated in FIG. 6, the microprocessor 40 causesthe movable detent 48 to become recessed, thus freeing the movableelement (e.g. ball 12) at the leading position in the ramp 46 a tobecome positioned on the cupped portion 49 at the top of the tee 14. Thetee 14 then continues its upward movement to the position shown inbroken lines in FIG. 4. The batter 18 then positions himself, as shownin FIG. 1, to hit the wiffle ball 12.

[0023] The batter 18 may subsequently wish to hit another ball. Thebatter then closes the switch 26 to provide for the transmission ofsignals to the tee mechanism 16. The tee 14 then moves downwardly to thebottom position and thereafter upwardly to receive the next one of thewiffle balls 12 in the ramp 46 a. In this way, the batter 18 is able topractice his hitting with wiffle balls 12 which, even when hit well, donot travel far so that they can be easily retrieved and used again.Furthermore, the wiffle balls 12 do not injure any bystander.

[0024] Although this invention has been disclosed and illustrated withreference to particular embodiments, the principles involved aresusceptible for use in numerous other embodiments which will be apparentto persons of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is, therefore, tobe limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. In combination for providing for the propulsionof a movable element, a tee mechanism including a tee normally disposedin a rest position and movable upwardly to an operative position, amotor for raising the tee from the rest position to the operativeposition, a motor for transferring the element to the tee during themovement of the tee upwardly from the rest position to the operativeposition, and a receiver responsive to signals transmitted to the teefor energizing the tee to raise the tee from the rest position to theoperative position.
 2. In combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein apropulsion member is provided for the propulsion of the element on thetee when the tee is disposed in the operative position and the elementis on the tee.
 3. In combination as set forth in claim 2 wherein atransmitter is disposed inside the propulsion member and a switch isdisposed on the propulsion member to provide for the transmission ofsignals from the transmitter to the receiver when the switch on thepropulsion member is closed.
 4. In combination as set forth in claim 1wherein circuitry is responsive in the tee mechanism to the movement ofthe tee from the operative position to the rest position for reversingthe direction of movement of the tee to move the tee upwardly from therest position to the operative position.
 5. In combination as set forthin claim 2 wherein a propulsion member is provided for the propulsion ofthe element on the tee when the tee is disposed in the operativeposition and the element is on the tee and wherein a transmitter isdisposed inside the propulsion member and a switch is disposed on thepropulsion member to provide for the transmission of signals from thetransmitter to the receiver when the switch on the propulsion member isclosed and wherein circuitry is responsive in the tee to the movement ofthe tee from the operative position to the rest position for reversingthe direction of movement of the tee to move the tee upwardly from therest position to the operative position.
 6. In a combination as setforth in claim 1 wherein The movable element is a ball and the movableelement is propelled by a bat.
 7. In combination for providing for thepropulsion of a movable element, a base, a housing extending upwardlyfrom the base, a tee disposed in the housing and movable between a lowerrest position and an upper operative position, the tee being constructedat its upper end to hold the movable element for propulsion from thetee, and a motor for moving the tee between the lower rest position andthe upper operative position.
 8. In a combination as set forth in claim7, switches disposed relative to the housing to reverse the operativedirection of the motor when the tee reaches individual ones of the restand operative positions.
 9. In a combination as set forth in claim 7wherein a receiver is included in the tee mechanism for energizing themotor, upon the reception of signals by the receiver, to raise the teefrom the rest position to the operative position.
 10. In a combinationas set forth in claim 7 wherein a ramp is disposed relative to the teeand is constructed to transfer the movable element to the tee as the teeis moving upwardly from the rest position to the operative position. 11.In a combination as set forth in claim 8 wherein a receiver is supportedby the base for energizing the motor, upon the reception of signals bythe receiver, to raise the tee from the rest position to the operativeposition and wherein a ramp is disposed relative to the tee andconstructed to transfer the element to the tee as the tee is movingupwardly from the rest position to the operative position.
 12. In acombination as set forth in claim 11 wherein the movable element is aball and the ball is propelled by a bat.
 13. In a combination as setforth in claim 8 wherein a ramp is disposed relative to the tee andconstructed to transfer the movable element to the tee as the tee ismoving upwardly from the rest position to the operative position andwherein a receiver is included in the tee mechanism for energizing themotor, upon the reception of signals by the receiver, to raise the teefrom the rest position to the operative position.
 14. In combination forproviding for the propulsion of a movable element, a member forproviding a propulsion of the movable element, the member including acircuit including a switch and a transmitter for transmitting signalsupon the closure of the switch, a tee movable between a rest positionand an operative position, the tee being disposed in the operativeposition to position the movable element for propulsion by the memberand being disposed in the rest position to prevent the member frompropelling the movable element, and a motor responsive to the signalstransmitted from the member for moving the tee from the rest position tothe operative position and for providing for the positioning of themovable member on the tee during the movement of the tee from the restposition to the operative position.
 15. In a combination as set forth inclaim 14, a ramp for holding the movable element and for transferringthe movable element to the tee during the movement of the tee from therest position to the operative position.
 16. In a combination as setforth in claim 14, the tee being constructed at its upper end to holdthe movable element for propulsion by the member and the ramp and thetee being disposed in a co-operative relationship to transfer themovable element from the ramp to the upper end of the tee during theupward movement of the tee from the rest position to the operativeposition.
 17. In a combination as set forth in claim 14, the ramp beingconstructed to hold a plurality of the movable elements and to transferthe movable elements in sequence to the upper end of the tee duringsequential movements of the tee upwardly from the rest position to theoperative position.
 18. In a combination as set forth in claim 15, ahousing for the tee, a base at the bottom of the housing, and the teeand a rack gear and a pinion gear disposed in the housing to move thetee between the rest position and the operative position.
 19. In acombination as set forth in claim 18 wherein the movable element is aball and the ball is adapted to be propelled by a bat.
 20. In acombination as set forth in claim 15, the tee being constructed at itsupper end to hold the movable element for propulsion by the member andthe ramp and the tee being disposed in a co-operative relationship totransfer the movable element from the ramp to the upper end of the teeduring the upward movement of the tee from the rest position to theoperative position, and the ramp being constructed to hold a pluralityof the elements and to transfer the movable elements in sequence to theupper end of the tee during sequential movements of the tee upwardlyfrom the rest position to the top position.
 21. In a combination as setforth in claim 16, the tee being constructed at its upper end to holdthe movable element for propulsion by the member and the ramp and thetee being disposed in a co-operative relationship to transfer themovable element from the ramp to the upper end of the tee during theupward movement of the tee from the rest position to the operativeposition, a housing for the tee, and a base at the bottom of thehousing.
 22. In combination for providing for the propulsion of amovable member, a base, a housing extending upwardly from the base, atee disposed in the housing and having a rest position and an operativeposition above the rest position and movable between the rest andoperative positions, the tee being constructed at its upper end toreceive and hold the movable element during the upward movement of thetee from the rest position to the operative position, and a ramppositioned relative to the tee and constructed to hold the movableelement and to transfer the movable element to the upper end of the teeduring the upward movement of the tee from the rest position to theoperative position.
 23. In a combination as set forth in claim 22, amotor coupled to the tee for moving the tee between the rest positionand the operative position.
 24. In a combination as set forth in claim23, a pinion gear disposed in a co-operative relationship with the motorfor rotation in accordance with the rotation of the motor, and a rackgear coupled to the tee and the pinion gear for moving the tee upwardlyfrom the rest position to the operative position in accordance with theoperation of the motor.
 25. In a combination as set forth in claim 23, apropulsion member for propelling the movable element, a switch disposedon the propulsion member and having operative and inoperativerelationships, and a transmitter disposed in the propulsion member in acircuit with the switch for transmitting signals to the tee in theoperative relationship to provide for an energizing of the motor.
 26. Ina combination as set forth in claim 23, a pinion gear disposed in aco-operative relationship with the motor for rotation in accordance withthe rotation of the motor, a rack gear coupled to the tee and the piniongear for moving the tee upwardly from the rest position to the operativeposition in accordance with the operation of the motor, a propulsionmember for propelling the movable element, a switch disposed on thepropulsion member and having operative and inoperative relationships,and a transmitter disposed in the propulsion member in a circuit withthe switch for transmitting signals to the tee in the operativerelationship to provide for an energizing of the motor.
 27. In acombination as set forth in claim 28 herein the movable element is aball and the ball is adapted to be propelled by a bat.